Trading Smiles for Tears
by Beautiful Curse
Summary: !One-shot! Rachel Berry couldn't help but feel like the whole world was against her, and when Shelby appears, her personal world comes crashing down. Who's going to be her knight in shining armor and save the day? Takes place in 'I Am Unicron":Evanberry:


Glee: Rachel Berry couldn't help but feel like the whole world was against her, and when Shelby appears, her personal world comes crashing down. Who's going to be her knight in shining armor and save the day? :Evanberry:

**A/n: In this story, Finn and Rachel AREN'T together! AND It takes place in "I Am Unicorn"**

**Glee- **_**Trading Smiles for Tears: **__One-shot_

…

"…**And she dropped her fake smile**

**As a tear rolled down her cheek."**

"Freak!"

Rachel Berry just barely had the time to prepare herself for the cold, sticky slushie coming towards her by dropping her books to the ground before it hit her in the face. It covered her peachy skin and gave it a red tint since the icy liquid was cherry… or then again, her face probably turned red from embarrassment and anger.

She raised her hands to her face and wiped it from her eyes, letting her burning orbs cool down for a second before opening them and glaring at Karofsky who high-fived Azimio while walking towards the chuckling football team, the students around her pointing and laughing.

Feeling her face heat up, Rachel reached down and picked up her books, pushing past the joyful students while making her way to her locker, having to hold back the tears in her bright, chocolate orbs the whole way.

Once she reached her locker, she dialed in her spun in her combination before popping it open and shoving her books into it for the exchange of a bag of extra clothing and she slammed it shut, harsher in rage, just to show to the amused people around her that she was angry…

No, scratch that, she was more then angry…

She was _enraged_.

Not only has she had to go through the name calling and 'accidental' trips (leaving a bruise on her leg) all day, but that was the second slushie that had been thrown at her that day and all she had left to wear was a formal dress that she was going wear for her audition later that day, but now, she was going to have to wear it since _both _of her other clothing was covered in flavored ice.

She was tired of people treating her like nothing more then a clown to laugh at! She was tired of having people hating on her, just because she dresses lamely and likes singing! She _hates _the disrespect that she is given, and most of all she hates that she doesn't and can't do anything about it! If she even attempted to stop Karofsky, he'd punch her face in!

As she entered the bathroom, she slammed the door open, the Freshmen girls who were standing at the mirror fixing their hair and make up were quick to leave, knowing that Rachel had low social status, but she was _not _the girl to be messed with on her bad days.

"What are you staring at?" Rachel screeched at the last Freshmen girl who had just left the stall, staring at Rachel with amusement in her dark eyes, "_**SHOO**_!" Rachel screamed, the girl quickly hurrying out the large bathroom door and Rachel locked it behind her, not wanting to be bothered.

The first thing Rachel did was take a deep breath to calm herself, letting her problems and emotion flow out of her while exhaling and looked up into the mirror for it all to be a waste.

She looked like _hell_.

Her long brown hair that was glossy and wavy earlier was now in a messy and blunt, falling with a nasty red tint from the slushie, and still had a little bit of a blue one from the first one she got when she arrived at school. Her chocolate brown eyes were blood shot from the liquid burning them and the sticky liquid dripped down her face and onto the front of her light blue sweater, and even dripped down onto her green and blue plaid skirt, ruining any chances of saving the offit.

Sighing, Rachel turned on the water on the sick, turning the handle quickly and made sure the water was warm before cupping her hands together and splashing the liquid on her face, scrubbing with her nails while cleansing off the icy, ignoring the bell that signaled that it was time for seventh period, and for once she didn't mind being late since she _did _have an excuse. She then turned her back towards the sink and arched her back so she could dip her head into the sink, and scrubbed the slushie out of her hair also, not trusting being able to get through the day with stringy, sticky, hair.

Once she was down with that, she stripped out of her offit, and out of anger from it getting ruined, through it into the trash can thinking she could just buy another with her Fathers' money.

'_They might never be home but they do make a lot of money._' Rachel though slyly while pulling the white dress from the plastic bag, now only standing in the bathroom in nothing more then panties and a bra, and quickly pulled the dress onto her, in fear of someone unlocking the door somehow and seeing her.

Finally, Rachel pulled out her makeup bag from the plastic bag also and reapplied it, having to practice to audition for Maria later that day and wanting nothing more then to look her best and get it right since she was actually _auditioning _later that day.

Once she was finished, she looked into the mirror to observe her work and sighed in relief that she actually looked somewhat okay.

Her long brown hair fell past her shoulder blades, still damp from washing it in the sink, but much better then before, her eyes were no longer red, and neither was her face. Her dress reached her knees and was a pasty white color, the sleeves nothing more then two inch straps, and down the middle were cotton buttons. Her shoes (black converse) didn't match to well since they were meant for her first offit, but she just shrugged it off since she was never known for her fashion taste.

Then again… She was barely known at all…

Rachel shook her head and forced a smile onto her face. She was going to be on Broadway someday anyways, so why did it even matter? She shouldn't let high school get to her head since she had her whole life ahead of her, when people would regret not being nicer to her… She _was _going to become famous, she just knew it.

The bell above her rang once more signaling the end of the day, and Rachel realized she had lost track of time and that their were people pounding on the door to get in.

Rachel glanced in the mirror once more before unlocking the door and heading towards the auditorium to practice for her audition.

…

"Laaaa!" Rachel sang as a warm up, getting higher which each note with her hands on her hips, standing on the other side of the ebony piano and gave a smile to Brad, who was playing the piano. She stood near the stage, hoping to fight down the small nervousness she had to audition the next day and kept a smile on her face, but stopped when she heard the clacking of heels from someone walking in behind her, and she turned, only to freeze in shock.

Shelby, her Mother, was causally strolling in with a smile on her face…

'_WHAT?' _Rachel's mind screamed, staring at her with her mouth agape while Brad stopped playing. She could not believe the nerve Shelby had, walking back into her life after _denying _wanting to be her Mother! Rachel was a mess after that and Shelby will not do that again!

Still staring at her Mother in shock, she took in her appearance. Her long, curly brown hair, light brown eyes, and crème colored skin were still all perfect. She was wearing a purple dress that went to her knees with sleeves that reached her elbow, and she still looked as beautiful as ever. Her smile had turned into one of worry since Rachel had yet to get over her shock, but one she did, anger flooded through her veins like ice, and she ripped her gaze away from her Mother and walked to the piano, shuffling through the papers that lay upon it.

"Your range is better." Shelby complimented as Rachel kept her eyes on the papers in front of her, "It was impressive a year and a half ago, but it's better now." Shelby said, the clacking of her heels still being heard as she walked towards Rachel.

Rachel, at a loss of words, stuttered out the first thing that came to mind, "Th-this is a privet rehearsal." She said, turning towards her Mother and couldn't ignore the pang of hurt in her chest as she did.

Why couldn't of her Mother wanted her? Was she that horrible? Those were the thoughts that ran through Rachel's head when ever she thought of her and her Mother rejecting her, and she couldn't help but feel flawed from it, as if she was just a broken toy tossed away from the next best thing, which was Beth.

"What song are you auditioning with?" Shelby asked, insisting on talking with Rachel, no matter how upset she was, which to Rachel seemed rather selfish.

"That's none of your business." Rachel answered stiffly, and suddenly remembered Shelby's new glee club, and hoped that Shelby didn't think she would join _just _because she wanted a Mother before, "If you have come to ask me to join your new little group, the answer is no. I am loyal to the New Directions, They are my family, and family means something." She said and glanced up to Shelby who was now standing in front of her, "…at least to me." Rachel finished indifferently, swallowing the lump in her throat and blinking away her tears.

"Rachel, as we talked before I am your birth mother-" Shelby started, only to be cut off by now a rather annoyed and depressed Rachel.

"Birth Mother, I know, not my real Mom." Rachel said and looked up, trying to make Shelby feel, or at least see, how hurt she made Rachel, "You know I almost had to go to therapy because of you-"

"Rachel-"

"Look, I'll be polite." Rachel continued, refusing to give up and now was just trying to get her to leave, "If I see you in the halls I'll give you a friendly 'hello' or a nod or a smile, now if you would excuse me, I have a rehearsal to finish." Rachel said, picking up the papers once more and began handing them to Brad.

"Somewhere there is a place for us." Shelby stated, and with Rachel's thoughts that were going a million miles a mili-second, she took it the wrong way.

'_How dare she! Come into my life and say that there is a 'place' for us! When she was the one who wanted to not even __**try **__to create a relationship with us!_' And with these thoughts running through her head, Rachel dangerously whipped around and shouted, "I said there wasn't! You said there wasn't-"

"I'm talking about the song." Shelby cut Rachel off harshly while Rachel blinked back tears and her face fell, even more saddened when she realized that Shelby didn't come here to fix their broken relationship, she came to stop feeling guilty, and that the thought of there being a place for the two of them never even crossed her mind, "I've played Maria eighteen times." Shelby began, raising a hand to her chest while continuing, "Somewhere is the perfect audition song for you and I think you should do it."

"Well I was considering it, but it's a very challenging song so I thought I'd do 'I Feel Pretty' which I'm actually amazing at." Rachel stated, keeping her eyes down cast as she played with the ends of the sheet music in her hands.

"You'll never become a star, or take the lead, if you play it safe." Shelby told Rachel, adding a smile in hoping to make the comment nicer then it actually sounded, "Try it." She encouraged Rachel with a smile, and Rachel took a deep breath before nodding towards Brad and the band to play it.

Rachel walked across the stage to get to the center while the intro music played and licked her lips to prepare to sing. She glanced over at Shelby once more before beginning to sing, her eyes shut in concentration. Through out the song, her Mother, Shelby, joined in, and Rachel felt emotion flooding through her as she sang with her Mother and held her hand and couldn't help but to feel like they truly belonged and to truly feel happy, smiling and singing with her Mom was all she ever wanted, and right now it was happening.

And later that same day when she sang it for the audition (She was the last audition for the day for her request… always leave them on their mind!) she wowed the three directors, and they all loved it, mentioning how she was perfect for the role, and Rachel couldn't help but to feel immensely happy, but once the directors left, and the people playing instruments left too, and Rachel was alone in the dark auditorium, she couldn't help but feel as if she had never felt more alone.

Sitting down in the center of the stage in the dark, all the lights around her except for the small, safety light were out, and the chairs, the piano, and all the other instruments around her where nothing more then outlines in the darkness. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly, letting the tears fall from her eyes freely now as they streamed down her face and dropped onto her white dress.

Why doesn't Shelby want her? Did she truly come just to make things better or to get her conscious clean of guilt? Did she ever want Rachel as a daughter? Does she not want a relationship with Rachel because there's something wrong with her? Something she can't fix?

All the thoughts ran through her mind as she sobbed into her chest feeling truly alone.

…

"No, no, no….Where is it?" Sam wondered aloud as he rummaged through his locker in panic. He pulled out spiraled notebooks and papers and carelessly through them to the ground in search of his green hoodie.

Sam was staying late at school since he had swim practice, and then remembered his jacket. Normally, he wouldn't be to worry about it and just wear his other one, but in the jacket was fifty dollars. Money that his _parents _had sent him for food and clothes and other stuff for the month while he stayed at Finn's. He _had _to find it.

Once he realized it wasn't in his locker, Sam angrily slammed the metal door shut and ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, his green eyes shut in frustration. He licked his dry lips as he racked his head for a possible place he could've left it. He had checked all his classrooms, locker room, his locker… What else was he missing?

The auditorium!

Sam's eyes instantly shot open as he realized he had left it in there during Glee practice and prayed that nobody took it as he ran towards the large room.

As he ran, he mentally kicked himself. How could he have been so _stupid _as to leave his jacket, which was full of money, in the auditorium? It was the only money he had for the month, and he lost it!

'_No._' He shook his head, '_I haven't lost it yet._'

As he approached the auditorium, he slowed down to a brisk walk, a small smile tugging on his large lips as he walked towards the door. As he reached for the door handle, he froze, hearing a loud, echoing sound.

What was it? He wondered, concentrating on it before realizing that it was someone sobbing!

Instantly, Sam pulled open the doors to the auditorium and ran inside, hoping that no one was hurt. He hurried towards the stage, but froze when he saw who it was.

Rachel Berry, who was normally standing tall (despite her height), confident, and had an award winning smile on her face no matter _who _was insulting her, was curled up in a ball, on the center of a dark stage, crying to herself. Her normally tan skin was pale, her big, happy doe eyes were sad and red, and her long brown hair lay spiraled around her.

Sam awkwardly stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. He and Rachel were friends, they had gone to the Prom together, him taking both her and Mercedes, they had done a few songs together, and they talked even now and then, but never something personal. She and Finn had brought him back to McKinley High and had given him a place to stay, and Rachel even helped pay for stuff every now and then, causing him to like her more than he should. They were friends and Sam had feelings for her, but he had no idea what to do when this strong, confident girl had dropped her smile and traded it for tears.

Slowly, Sam walked up onto the stage and lowered himself to the ground besides Rachel, reaching down and stroking her long, glossy hair.

Rachel, who had been crying out her heart and soul, just noticed another person's presence when Sam stroked her hair, and she looked up in shock and instantly shot up, rubbing tears out of her eyes and stumbling out excuses.

"Rachel." Sam cut her off, and she looked up at him with tear-filled bambi eyes, "What happened?" He asked carefully as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, and Rachel smiled slightly from it.

Rachel had always liked Sam, the way he was so carefree and nice to people, even though his life was hard and he had to grow up fast. But right now, Rachel liked Sam more than anyone in the world because he was actually being _there _for her.

"It's-It's nothing important." She mumbled, looking down at her feet.

Sam shook his head, "If it's gotten you this upset, of course it is." He said, and after a moment of silence continued, "Rachel, look at me." He commanded, and his breath was slightly taken away when she looked up and him and her chocolate brown eyes bore into his green ones, "You've been there for me; let me be there for you." He whispered softly.

Rachel gave Sam a smile before speaking, "Well, I'm not sure if you know this, I have two gay Dads'. Technically, one _is _my birth dad, so that means I have a birth Mother who gave me to them when I was born. That woman is Shelby Corcoran." Rachel explained and Sam nodded in shock, thinking about how she and her looked alike, "About a year ago, I figured out who she was and talked to her… She didn't want me and didn't want any relationship with me what-so-ever…" Her eyes filled with tears as Sam's grip around her tightened, "And now, that she's back, I shouldn't want anything to do with her, but I still want her to care about me and want me, but she doesn't. She's just here to clear a guilty conscious." Rachel said bitterly, "I just wish it didn't upset me as much as it did…" She trailed off.

Sam watched how shook up the girl in front of him was, and couldn't help but feel bad. "Rach, it's _always _going to hurt, and I know that doesn't make you feel any better. But I want you to know that I'll always be there for you no matter what." Sam said quietly, boldly pulling Rachel into his lap and wrapped is arms strongly around her waist, "And between you and me…" He whispered lowly to her, "Her life must suck because you aren't in it." He said and Rachel giggled, smiling largely, feeling better already.

Reaching up, Rachel gave Sam a peck on the check causing Sam's whole face to heat up, "You know what Sam?" Rachel questioned, "You just made me feel so much better. If you hadn't come here I'd probably have been in a mess for days." Rachel admitted, "Thank you." She smiled, wiping off her face with her arm.

Sam's large lips stretched out in a smile from hearing her say that, "Anytime Rach." He said, tickling her sides lightly as she burst out in a fit of laughter, "You know I'm always here for you."

After a minute of sitting together with each other, Rachel stretched her arms and began pulling herself up from Sam's embrace, "We should probably head home, it past five thirty and I'm pretty sure no ones suppose to be in here." She chuckled lightly.

Sam nodded, "Okay." He stood up and scanned the auditorium for a minute before his eyes landed on his green jacket and he laughed at his own stupidity before jogging over and grabbing it, "Hey, at least let me take you out for ice cream, take your mind off things. I'll even do some of my impressions if it'll cheer you up." He offered, and Rachel looked up at him and thought for a moment or so before nodding.

"That'll be lovely actually, thank you." She said with a small chuckle, honestly _happy_.

Together, the two of them left and walked up to an ice cream shop where they each got a bowl of ice cream and ate together, laughing and joking about the silliest stuff. And when Sam walked Rachel home, they both felt truly happy together as they pointed out different shapes in the stars. And once they reached Rachel's door step, Sam couldn't help himself and he reached down and caught Rachel's lips in a long, heart-warming kiss, and what made it even better was that Rachel kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her waist against his.

Staring up at Sam, Rachel smiled before giving him one more, short, small kiss, "Goodnight Sam." She whispered and she swore that she had never seen Sam's smile so big.

"Goodnight Rachel. Call me if you need _anything_." He said pointedly and Rachel giggled and nodded before disappearing into her house.

As Sam turned and walked towards Finn and Kurt's house, where he was currently staying, he had never felt happier.


End file.
